The Ballad of a Baby
by writer writing
Summary: Kid Cole and Sister Ruth welcome their first child. 1836. AU. Seventh in a series.
1. Chapter 1

A ragged, young mother, who looked as if she hadn't slept since her child had been born, brought a fussy baby about 6 months old up to Sister Ruth and Kid Cole after the revival. The infant was pulling at his ear as he cried tired, pitiful cries.

"I saw what you did for those people. Can you heal my son's ears?" begged the mother.

"No, I can't," Ruth answered. "That's not how the faith healing I do works, but I'll be glad to pray for him."

Ruth took the baby in her arms and the gentle bouncing and soothing words were enough to temporarily distract the baby. "Might be you could try soaking some cotton in vinegar and stuffing it in his ears," she offered after the prayer. "Might offer him some relief from the pain if nothing else. God works through creation as much as He does through miracles."

"Thank you. I'll try that." She didn't look too hopeful though.

Ruth took pity on the woman. who looked dead on her feet. "Why don't you go get some sleep? My husband and I can watch him for a few hours. We'll be right in that hotel over there."

"Oh, thank you!" The woman looked truly grateful this time and hurried away before Sister Ruth had time to change her mind.

Ruth offered the baby a finger to clutch on and he tried to pull it up to his mouth to suck on it.

"Afraid you won't get much out of there," she told him as if he understood every word, "but I got some applesauce if you're hungry and we'll see if that vinegar don't help you out some."

As they headed for the hotel, he was starting to whimper again, but Ruth hiked him higher on her waist and began singing him a hymn, distracting the child from his pain again.

"You're such a natural with children," Kid commented with a soft smile. "It's a shame you never got the chance to be a mother."

_July 1, 1836_

Sister Ruth was beyond ready to have this baby. The middle of summer was the worst time to be heavy with child. She'd heard somewhere once that going on a long walk could sometimes bring on labor. She was willing to give it a go.

She looked out the window. It looked a little cooler than it had been at midday. At least, a few folks were out and about now.

Santa Fe, though still situated in the same sandy valley with the same snowy peaks in the distance, was no longer Mexican territory but claimed by the newly formed country known as The Republic of Texas. It was still a small town despite being the start of the Santa Fe trail, but the midwife there was supposed to be unparalleled and the town could even boast a sober doctor now.

Not only that, but if she couldn't experience this part of womanhood with her mother. Rosa, the motherly boardinghouse owner who'd rooted for her and Kid to get together, was a nice substitute. Neither Rosa nor her boardinghouse had changed a bit in 8 years and that was a comfort.

"I thought you were supposed to be upstairs resting," Kid chastised the moment he saw her.

"I feel a little better and I'm going crazy with boredom up there. I decided to go on a walk."

"By yourself?" Kid asked. "I don't think so. I've got half a mind to carry you back up the stairs, but I guess a short walk won't hurt as long as I go with you."

Rosa smiled as she stirred whatever was on the stove.

"I didn't know you'd become a doctor in the 2 hours we were apart. That's impressive." She looked over at older woman. "Remind me again why I married this man?"

"Because you love me and you can't get enough of me," Kid answered, beating Rosa to it. "And I'm counting this time standing here as part of your walk because you should be in bed."

"Well, let's go then," Ruth said, moving toward the door.

"We're having carne de carnero for supper and it's almost done, so hurry back," Rosa said. "Nothing worse than cold meat."

They assured her they would and then went out on the walk.

Ruth found she waddled more than she walked though she tried hard not to, but you couldn't exactly help it when you were as big as a house out in front.

Kid thought it was funny. "You're cute. You know that?"

She gave a snort of disbelief. "Remember those whales we saw when we sailed to Virginia? That's what I feel like. A whale."

"You're the most beautiful whale I've ever seen then."

"That's sweet, I think."

They pretty much had the narrow streets to themselves. It was still too hot for comfort. Only the poorest of the poor were out, trying to sell their meager wares.

Kid coughed a little.

"Are you okay?" she asked full of concern.

"I'm fine." His cough had returned just as the stranger at the store had predicted, mild but present. He didn't have time to worry over it though. His focus was on Ruth and the baby. He wanted her pregnancy over too, not only because he wanted to meet his little son or daughter but also because he worried over her health. So many things could go wrong and he worried over them all.

Ruth stopped and pain crossed her features.

Kid's worry turned into full blow panic. "Is it time?"

The pain was sharp and sudden and signaled that the baby could indeed be on his way. "I think so."


	2. Chapter 2

Even though Ruth had gained a good 25 pounds due to the pregnancy, Kid was still able to lift her and hurry with her over the short distance they'd walked, ignoring her protests that she could walk.

"Get the midwife!" he shouted to Rosa as they burst through the door.

He laid her on the bed up in their room. "How are you feeling?"

"Still having pain, but it's nothing to worry about. Babies rarely come quick."

He alternately wrung his hands and smoothed her hair. "Where is that midwife?" he asked though it'd only been a couple minutes.

"On her way, I'm sure," she answered.

There was a knock on the door not too long after that. "It's about time," he said, running to answer it.

The midwife was a short, squat woman who seemed to wear a permanent frown, but she gave off the air of knowing what she was doing.

"I insist on looking at her alone," she said, waving a plump, wrinkled hand in his direction. "A birthing room is no place for a man."

Who did the lady think she was, Kid thought. He wasn't going anywhere. It was his wife and child and he intended on being there for the birth.

"It's okay, Kid," Ruth assured him. "I'll call if I need you."

He did want her looked at right away and arguing with the midwife right now was going to prolong that examination, so he reluctantly went out into the hallway. Kid paced outside the door, listening for the least little sign that Ruth wanted him in there. "Ridiculous," he muttered. "What is she going to look at that I haven't already seen?"

He didn't have to wait long though. About 5 minutes and the midwife was opening the door. "False alarm. It's very common thing for the mother to think she is going into labor when she gets her first pains, especially if it's her first child. I told your wife what to look for, but if either of you have any concerns at all, I'll be more than happy to come."

Ruth thanked her since Kid didn't and the woman left for home.

"She's nice," Ruth said with a tired sigh.

"Nice, my foot. I don't care what that midwife says. When you get ready to deliver, I'm going to be right by your side holding your hand."

"That's sweet," she said, reaching out for his hand.

He took it and a rap sounded on the door. "Can I come in?" Rosa asked.

"Go ahead," Kid answered.

Rosa came in, carrying a bowl of mutton with peppers and onions that smelled wonderful and a glass of milk. "I brought supper to you."

"I could've come down there," Ruth said, sitting up, so she could take it from her.

"Now none of that. The midwife said this is the best thing for you. Maybe a short little walk once a day, but you shouldn't be going up and down the stairs since your time is nearing."

Kid shot Ruth a look of disapproval since she hadn't shared that little tidbit. He wasn't too pleased with the midwife either, giving the instructions to Rosa instead of him.

Kid thanked Rosa for bringing it up and then settled into the lone wooden chair in the room after dragging it over to the bedside.

"Ain't you going to get something to eat?" Ruth wanted to know.

"I'll get something later. I'd rather stay with you."

When she was finished, he took her bowl and glass and set it on the dresser.

"I think the birth of our country is going to come before the birth of this baby," Ruth complained, easing back down against the pillows.

"Which reminds me I got a hold of some firecrackers. We definitely have to celebrate big this year now that Arkansas' a state."

"I reckon we'll be the only ones celebrating. I wonder if there are any other Americans here in Santa Fe who might like to get together on the fourth. Have a little picnic or something?"

"That's an idea, but I doubt you're going to be up to a picnic and I ain't going without you."

"Do you want a boy or a girl?" Ruth asked suddenly.

"I don't care."

"You don't care?" she asked, sounding more than a little annoyed.

He couldn't ever seem to say or do the right thing lately; she either burst into tears or got angry with him. He started to bring a hand toward her, intending to comfort her.

"Get your hands away from me! That's what got me in this condition to begin with."

His hand froze midair. He didn't know whether to laugh or not. The subject went back to the topic of gender.

"You want a boy, don't you?" she accused. "All men do, I guess. Somebody they can teach to be like them."

"Well, I don't. I know a lot of men say that, but I mean it. I'm just happy that the Lord decided to bless us with a child, boy or girl."

She calmed. "I'm sorry. I know I'm acting like a crazy person. It's not you. It's not even me. I just need this baby out already."

"I understand." And he did. He knew pregnant women's moods were as unpredictable as which way the wind was going to blow. "You want your shoes off?" he asked, seeking her permission before he touched her this time.

She smiled. "That would be mighty nice. Ain't no way I'm getting to my feet right now."

He smiled back at her and pulled her stockings off too. He picked up the bottom of her right foot and started with the top of her foot working his way down to her sole then he worked his way back up again.

"Mmm. That feels good."

He made small circles, using the gentlest of touches. Then started the whole process over with her left foot.

"If I wasn't in love with you already," she teased, eyes closed in a complete state of relaxation. "I'd be in love with you now."

"Is anything else bothering you?" he asked in a low, rumbly voice that served to relax her further.

"Well, now that you mention it, my back's bothering me a little bit."

She turned over onto her side. He started at the nape of her neck and worked his way down to her hips, rubbing her back as gently as he had her feet.

"Better?" he asked, kissing the back of her neck.

"Much. Thank you, honey. You're the miracle worker." She sighed as she turned back over. "I don't know how long I'm going to able to stand laying here like a beached whale. I've never been very good at doing nothing.".

"I'll keep you company," he promised. He puckered lips and she tilted her head upward for a quick peck. "Time'll pass quicker than you think."

"I hope so."

Rosa brought Kid his supper too. When he got finished, he read to Ruth from the Bible until the sun went down. Her eyes were shut, but her breathing wasn't deep. "You still awake, baby?" he asked in a whisper.

"Yeah. I can't sleep."

"You want me to leave you? Am I keeping you awake?"

"No. You know how I have trouble getting to sleep anyway with my mind feeling like it's constantly in a whirl most days, but since this pregnancy, it's practically impossible."

He went over and got his guitar and began a slow melody.

She looked at him tenderly. "You're the best husband in the world."

"It helps when you've got the best wife," he said, returning the sweet words before beginning the words to the song.

"Believe me if all those endearing young charms,  
>Which I gaze on so fondly today,<br>Where to change tomorrow and fleet in my arms  
>Like fairy gifts fading away!<br>Then would'st still be ador'd as this moment thou art,  
>Let thy loveliness fade as it will;<br>And around the dear ruin, each wish of my heart,  
>Would entwine itself verdantly still.<p>

It is not while beauty and youth are thine own,  
>And thy cheek unprofaned by a tear,<br>That the fervor and faith of a soul can be known  
>To which time will but make thee more dear!<br>Oh! the heart that has truly lov'd never forgets,  
>But as truly loves on to the close,<br>As the sunflower turns on her god, when he sets,  
>The same look which she turn'd when he rose!"<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

July 3rd dawned and Sister Ruth had more than had enough bed rest. It especially hurt that it was the Sabbath and she was stuck here at the boarding house.

"I guess church is out of the question," Ruth said to Kid. "Oh, well. I don't understand the Latin they do there anyway, but I do enjoy the communion with other believers."

"I'm sure you'll be able to go next week."

"One can only hope and pray."

She was just climbing back into bed from using the chamber pot when her water broke, a sure sign the baby was on its way. "It's going to happen this time," she told Kid.

"Everybody's in church," he said with definite alarm.

"It'll be fine. We've got time. It'll likely be hours yet before the baby comes. Just run to the church and get the midwife. She's only a couple of minutes away."

Kid didn't look at all happy with leaving her, but he had no choice. He was back in less than 5 minutes though with the midwife still dressed in her Sunday best.

"Sorry, we had to pull you away from church," Ruth apologized.

The midwife was unconcerned. "Babies don't wait for a good time. They come ready or not when God tells them to." She rolled up her sleeves and turned her focus on Kid. "You, Mr. Cole, can wait downstairs."

"No, Sister Ruth and I have talked this over and she wants me here and I want to be here."

She humphed. "Well, no since in distressing Mrs. Cole then, but the minute you get in my way, out you go."

"You won't even know I'm here," Kid promised.

Ruth had already stopped wearing her corset mid pregnancy, but the midwife helped her down to her shift and examined her. "It will be a long one yet, but you are in labor."

A particularly strong contraction hit Ruth and she groaned.

"Are you feeling okay?" Kid asked her immediately.

It was a sweet question that expressed his concern, but a stupid one. She was in so much pain, she couldn't even answer him, only glower. He got the message though.

He sat down by her side and supported her thereafter by holding her hand as the notion took her.

Rosa came up after church. She brought a cool cloth to put on her forehead and a glass of water for which Ruth was grateful.

The contractions gradually grew in number and intensity until she was crying, "Oh, Lord" regularly, not taking the Lord's name in vain but cries for Him to help her bear the increasing pain.

"If I could, I'd do this for you," Kid said at one point.

"No, you wouldn't," the midwife answered. "That's ignorance talking."

It was late evening before the baby was truly ready to make an entrance.

"Time to push," the midwife instructed.

She did and pushed and pushed. It felt like a bad charley horse she couldn't get rid of and the pushing didn't offer the relief she'd hoped. It was pain on top of pain.

"There's the head," the midwife declared after what seemed like forever, which was music to Ruth's ears.

Kid came around to take a look. His knees buckled and he went pasty white at the sight of the blood. While he normally wasn't squeamish, he'd never seen that much blood come from his wife either. He quickly moved back to Ruth's side where his view was obstructed.

There was an unpleasant, burning sensation as she continued to push, but she concentrated on getting the baby out.

"You've done it," the midwife said after one last agonizing push.

Ruth crumpled in a sweaty, exhausted heap.

"You have a little girl," she informed them as the lusty wails of the infant filled the room.

Kid and Ruth looked at each other with absolute joy.

"Do you want to cut the cord?" the midwife asked Kid, holding up a penknife.

He blanched. "No, thank you."

She smirked as if that confirmed men didn't belong in the delivery room and did it herself.

The midwife brought their daughter over to them and laid the small bundle in Ruth's arms, wrapped in the blanket Ruth had made.

The babe looked as bald as a cucumber at first glance but on closer inspection there were a few red gold hairs in the back and she had the blue gray eyes so common to newborns.

"I believe the poor girl looks more like me than you," Ruth commented. She'd been expecting to see Kid's dark hair and eyes and was a trifle disappointed. But not too disappointed. She was still the most darling, little baby she'd ever seen.

"Just as well. I'd make an ugly woman."

The women all laughed.

"I believe she's got your nose though," Ruth observed.

"I believe she does," Rosa agreed. "Congratulations to you both."

"We'll give you two or three I should say a few minutes alone and then I'll be back to make sure the bleeding has stopped and everything is being discharged properly," the midwife said.

The midwife went out first and Rosa closed the door behind them with a soft click.

"O give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever," Ruth quoted reverently, feeling the scripture wholeheartedly.

"That would make a beautiful name. Mercy."

"You know it really would. I like it. Mercy." They'd tossed names back and forth mostly biblical names, but they hadn't settled on one until now. "And what do you think about Fiona as her middle name? For my grandmother?"

"Mercy Fiona Cole. A fine, strong name. It suits her."

"You want to hold her?" Ruth asked.

He teared up as he held his daughter for the first time. He hadn't been sure this day would come after getting consumption. "She's so beautiful. This is the best gift I've ever been given. Thank you, Ruth."

"The Lord's the one who give her to us."

"But you're the one who carried her 9 months," he said with a smile. "And just went through all that excruciating pain to bring her into the world." He kissed her forehead.

"You're welcome."


	4. Chapter 4

The midwife stayed about an hour after the birth and was pleased with both the health of the mother and baby. She was full of instructions.

"It is okay to start feeding. She does not seem like the fussy sort, so she may or may not cry for milk. Every 3 hours is a good time even during the night."

Ruth and Kid both nodded.

"You must continue to stay in bed though, Mrs. Cole, well into tomorrow. Wait until I pronounce you well enough to get up."

Ruth hadn't even thought of getting up yet. It seemed like a lot of extra fuss though, but then there was likely a reason why she was one of the best midwives around.

"I'll come by and check on you and your baby tomorrow," the midwife promised.

"You, Mr. Cole, I will speak to out in the hallway."

Kid followed and gave her the money they owed. "Here's your pay. We're very happy with your services."

"Gracias. I wanted to warn you it takes some time for women to heal after a birth. She won't be able to resume her wifely duties for a few weeks. If you're a good husband, you'll wait until she's ready to resume."

Kid flushed at the midwife's frank speech. "Of course."

He went back in and settled in the chair beside the bed, alone with his wife and child again. Kid had helped her change into a fresh shift a little earlier and Rosa had given the bed fresh sheets. Ruth pulled down the corner of her shift in preparation of the feeding.

She was a little nervous as she tried to get Mercy to take her milk. It wasn't as easy as she had expected. It took some guidance for the newborn to find where to latch on to and she had some trouble staying there, but they succeeded at the last.

Kid felt warm and fuzzy at the tender sight of Ruth nursing their baby. He didn't know if it was possible to feel any happier than he did right now. He wished he could stop time and live in this moment forever. Kid felt so much love and protection toward this little person it astounded him and he understood God just a little bit better then. If he, a sinful man, could care for his child this way, how much more did the Father want to love and take care of His children.

Mercy fell asleep before the feeding was over. She looked so adorable with her lashes against her cheeks and her little mouth hanging open. Oh, how Ruth loved this little child already with her whole heart. It didn't seem like she'd gotten much milk, but she remembered her grandmother assuring new mothers that they would produce more milk with time.

Mercy's skin had lightened just a dab from its former deep red to a pink shade and her head had taken on a more normal shape. Ruth counted her perfect, little fingers and toes, still completely amazed by this little human being.

Ruth nodded off not long after Mercy. Kid took the baby carefully from her arms, but it wasn't long before he joined them in their impromptu nap. He only stirred when he felt Ruth lifting the baby from him this time.

"She needs a change," she explained. "Can you hand me a fresh diaper?"

"I'll do better than that; I'll change it."

"Are you sure?" she asked, looking a tad skeptical. "I've changed my nephew's before, so I know how to do it. Won't take me but a minute."

"I insist. How hard can it be?"

Ruth said no more but sat back and watched as he got the fresh square of flannel. He pulled out the straight pins to the current diaper easy enough and crumpled the soiled one into a ready bag until it could be washed. He even managed to get the new cloth around her, but it looked more like a skirt than a diaper.

"That ain't going to a bit of good," Ruth pointed out.

"I know it," he grumbled.

He tried again and this time covered her bottom half, but he covered her entire bottom half. Her legs and arms were trapped in the diaper.

After a 3rd attempt that looked something like a Roman toga, Ruth couldn't hold back the laughter anymore. The sight of the 6 foot plus man struggling to diaper a little 6 pound baby was just too comical.

"Can you give me some pointers here?" he finally said.

"I think there's a number of ways to do it, but the easiest way is to fold it into a triangle."

Kid managed the shape with no trouble.

"Now put her on top the triangle."

That too was easy enough since infants didn't start off thrashing about, the slight reprieve a gift to new parents learning to diaper.

"Pull all 3 tips in front and pin it down. Just be careful that you place the pins so that she can't get pricked."

"There you go, my little angel," Kid said, raising his naturally low voice higher in baby talk after he met with success. "She didn't complain a bit, did she?" he asked Ruth with the tone of a proud papa.

"No, not a bit," she answered, equally proud.

He held her up, so Ruth could get a good look. "How's that?"

"Not bad for your first time," she praised.

He chuckled. "She's already fallen back asleep."

"You know we never did get a crib. She can't sleep in our arms forever. Where's she going to sleep?"

"I've thought about that." He handed her to Ruth again and went to the other side of the room to get his guitar case. He took the guitar out and padded it down with a quilt. "There we go. Instant crib." He took Mercy again and put her in it.

"Well, she does look comfortable," Ruth said. "I guess that'll do for now."

Kid picked Mercy up from makeshift crib though she hadn't so much as whimpered and was still sleeping peacefully.

Ruth laughed. "Something tells me she ain't going to get to use it too awful much though."


	5. Chapter 5

Kid was up with the sun. The United States was 60 years old today and his daughter a day old. Ruth was still asleep. It was tempting to wake her up with the firecrackers, he thought with humor, but Mercy likely wouldn't appreciate the noise. As much as he wanted to wake his wife, eager to spend time with her and their new daughter, he waited until she woke up of her own accord.

"How's the mother of my child this morning?" he asked when she finally stirred.

"Just fine. Still hard to believe, ain't it? I'm a mother and you're a father."

He passed the baby to Ruth as it was time for another feeding.

"I guess your 4th of July plans are ruint," Ruth commented.

"Well, I can still shoot off my firecrackers. Besides, I couldn't think of a better way to spend the Fourth than with our brand new baby. Maybe we'll have a little picnic up here in the bedroom just me, you, and Mercy."

"That sounds real nice," she said with a smile.

"It's such a beautiful day. I want to go for a walk before it gets too hot. Mind if I take the baby with me?"

"I guess that'd be okay as long as it's a short one. Just don't go shooting off those firecrackers anywhere near my baby."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he promised with a grin.

"Take a blanket to keep her covered too. I don't want her getting sunburned."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, still grinning.

After Mercy had finished her breakfast and Kid made sure Ruth had hers, he set off on the walk.

Mercy's eyes squinted shut at her first glimpse of sunlight. He pulled the blanket over her to protect her skin and eyes though he hated to do it. She looked so darling in her white lace gown and cap that Ruth had made; he wanted everyone to see her.

Still, the walk went just fine until he ran into someone who knew him.

"Well, if it isn't Kid Cole." Kid should have expected he'd run across somebody who'd recognize him here sooner or later. Santa Fe was one of his old stomping grounds after all. "Is that a baby in your arms?"

"Bright as ever I see," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. He didn't really remember the man, but he didn't like his tone.

"Your baby?" he asked.

It didn't appear this fellow even had the sense that God gave a tree if he couldn't figure out that much. "I certainly didn't kidnap her."

The man still couldn't reconcile Kid Cole, the gunfighter, with Kid Cole, the father. "Did its mother foist it off on you? Bad luck that. You sure it's yours?"

"I fell in love with a beautiful and godly woman. I'm happily married and this is our baby. Not that it's any of your business. If you'll excuse me, it's getting warmer by the minute and I promised her mother we wouldn't be gone long."

The man must have been too astonished by this to say anything else as Kid took his leave.

Kid was more shaken by the encounter than he'd let on. He'd left this kind of life almost 8 years ago and still the past haunted him. Would Mercy find out one day about the women and the drinking and the fighting. What would she think of him then? Would she be ashamed to be the daughter of Kid Cole?

Maybe he shouldn't have taken her for a walk. What if he'd met up with somebody more sinister? Someone who wanted to challenge his title or who bore him a grudge? It was no wonder than the man had been surprised to see him with a baby. He was taking a terrible risk going anywhere with her. He should have realized that sooner.

He wasn't sure at all now that he was going to be a good parent and that was a scary thing. Because more than anything he wanted to be a father that Mercy could be proud of and most importantly safe with.

sss

The midwife checked on Ruth while Kid was gone and gave her permission to be up as long as she took it easy and sat more than she stood.

"How's the baby doing?" Rosa asked after Ruth took one of the seats at the table in the kitchen. "Kid rushed out the door with her so fast, I barely had a chance to look at her."

"Real good. Hardly makes a peep. Never expected so much peace and quiet with a newborn. It kind of makes me worry I'll forget to feed her and she won't get enough milk."

"I doubt that," said with a chuckle as she continued to knead some bread dough. "You'll know if she's getting enough milk by other ways. Just enjoy it because you'll never have another like that I'll wager."

"It's so good to be up again even if I am just sitting. Can I do something? You don't know how restless I've been."

"I guess you can chop this onion as long as you don't overdo it and stay seated," she said, bringing the onion, knife, and chopping board over. "Let me get you a snack. Cookies? I've got some fresh ones already made up."

"No thanks. I can live off my baby fat for awhile," she said, patting her stomach. At Rosa's frown she continued, "Really I'm still too full from breakfast and Kid said something about a picnic. I don't want to spoil his plans by overeating."

She accepted that. "You look good if you ask me. You and he are both too thin for your own good."

Ruth chuckled and then grew serious. "You know he probably wouldn't want me to tell you this, but he might be thin for a reason. He's got consumption."

Rosa gasped, "Madre de Dios. I had no idea. How hard for him. How hard for you."

"It is hard. And I've prayed until I'm blue in the face and gotten patches at the knees. While he ain't getting worse it seems like, he's got this persistent little cough and I know Kid believes that the Lord can heal him; it ain't that. So why now when the Lord's been so good to us, giving us Mercy? Why won't He take it away? I trust Him, but I'm a little afraid too."

"Don't give up, niña. You said it yourself. Mercy is proof of the Lord's goodness. It will be alright."

Ruth nodded in agreement. "She's an absolute miracle. She came just as I was beginning to think we couldn't have kids."

"7 years are nothing, especially if God wants you to have one and He obviously did. I'm happy I was able to be here to see it. I had a feeling about you two from the beginning."

"Even before we did," Ruth said with a laugh. Her laughter disappeared. "Pray for him, Rosa."

"I already do, Sister Ruth. For you too and now for your sweet little baby."


	6. Chapter 6

Kid barely even noticed Ruth was in the kitchen until she spoke, he was so distracted with his thoughts.

"How was your walk?" she asked.

He forced a smile for her benefit. "It was okay. What are you doing downstairs?"

"I got permission from the midwife. Did she enjoy it?"

"What? Oh, yeah," he said as he handed Mercy to her. "She did."

"Did you enjoy it?" Ruth further asked.

"Doesn't seem like you did," Rosa commented astutely. "Have a cookie," she said, thrusting it into his hands before he had a chance to refuse.

He bit into the cookie to have an excuse not to answer.

Rosa just got the bread in the oven and put the diced onions into the chicken broth for an onion soup for lunch.

"You got time to help me get a picnic together?" Kid asked, looking to get the attention off of him. "I'll pay you extra for it."

Rosa smiled. "Sure do. It's a cute idea having an indoor picnic."

After that was done, Kid carried Ruth upstairs, not wanting her to exert herself and then came back for Mercy.

Rosa was telling the newborn the story of how she met her parents.

Kid laughed. "I doubt she's going to remember it. And maybe that's just as well. Ruth and I didn't have a fairytale start."

"The best stories don't. And you'd be surprised what babies remember. Joking aside, if you need someone to watch the baby for whatever reason, I'd be happy to do it. I love babies."

"I gathered as much. We might take you up on that offer before we leave Santa Fe. It'd be nice to take Ruth out somewhere just the two of us. We won't be getting those chances very often if I was a betting man." He took the baby and the basket and went upstairs.

Ruth was reading the Bible when he got back to the room. She was never too tired for that. Kid rocked and hummed for Mercy until she fell asleep then he went outside to set off the firecrackers in an empty field, the sole spectator, but he didn't mind that.

When it got to be around midday, Kid opened the window to the room high to let the fresh air in. He spread a tablecloth out on the bed and pulled out the loaf of bread, a wedge of cheese, and ham. Kid slices pieces off for sandwiches with a knife. There were slices of huckleberry pies in there too. Rosa had helped him pack quite a feast and had brought them up a pitcher of lemonade to boot a few minutes ago. Nobody was going to starve under her roof that much was certain.

He momentarily forgot his worries basking in the pleasure of picnic and family, but they lingered in the background of his mind making stomach a tad too weak to fully enjoy their bedroom picnic.

sss

Mercy was a week old. Her cheeks were filling so that it was hard to restrain one's self from pinching them. Her eyes flitted around Ruth's face as she ate as if she were memorizing it and those same eyes followed Ruth whenever she turned her head to talk to Kid, delighting the new mother.

"How you feeling?" Kid asked.

"A little tired," Ruth answered, "but otherwise as right as rain."

It wasn't surprising that she was tired really, she thought. She slept lighter than usual as she stirred at her baby's every sound, hyper alert, so that her nights weren't very restful. She couldn't begin to imagine what a parents with a crying baby went through. Not to mention delivering a baby all by itself was physically exhausting. And then there was the extra work: washing and changing the flannel diapers, washing the baby clothes when she spit up on them or when the flannel diaper didn't quite do its job, and just the feeding and burping. Kid helped, but it was an around-the-clock job. And that was without a whole house to clean and a husband to cook for. She pitied the women who were housekeepers and mothers both. She kept their little room tidied because Rosa offered them a discount to do so, but she didn't have to do the cooking, which would change as they wouldn't be at the boardinghouse forever.

"Okay, a lot tired." she added, "but it's perfectly natural or so the midwife tells me."

"You just let me when you're ready to move on," he said understandingly.

She was slow to respond. She'd been thinking about what she was about to say a lot since Mercy was born. "Maybe we should think of settling somewhere. Living in a stationary home instead of traveling in a wagon all the time."

"You mean here? In Santa Fe?" This was still a rough and tumble town. Too many people came though it for his liking.

"Possibly, but it doesn't have to be. I just wonder what kind of life can we give a child never staying in the same place."

He'd never expected her to want to give up her ministry, but he wanted Ruth to be happy. He just wasn't sure she could be happy just being a regular mother without revivals and faith healings. "Is that what you really want? You think that's what God wants?"

"I don't know. I just know she won't have a chance to develop long-term friendships or a chance to go to a school. There'd be access to a doctor and less danger for her if we settled in a town. Is the untamed West really the best place for a baby? Shouldn't we consider what's best for Mercy? Isn't that what parents are supposed to do?"

"Things to think about," he agreed. They really were and his feelings of inaptitude at fatherhood were growing with her questions. It wasn't possible to put the baby back in the womb and wait another 9 months to figure this all out, but he wished they could. There was so much more they should have prepared for, talked about before her arrival.

"How come you haven't taken Mercy on anymore walks?" Ruth asked.

He shouldn't hold the truth back from her, he realized. He'd learned his lesson concerning that recently, so he got right to the heart of the matter. "Have you ever considered that I'm not safe to be around, especially for a little baby?"

"So that's why you came back in a mood that day. You're worried somebody will draw a gun on you while you have Mercy with you?"

"It's not an unreasonable worry."

"No, it's not. You know as much as I dislike people wearing guns, people wear guns, but I know she's perfectly safe with you. If I wasn't sure of that, I wouldn't have let you take her on the walk."

"I appreciate your vote of confidence, but you can't be sure of that. And how would you feel if I let something happen to her? How would I feel about myself?" he looked over at his sleeping daughter.

"You can't let fear keep you from living life. You've kept me safe and I just about ask for it sometimes. Why don't you think you can keep our baby safe?"

"Fear. Like you said, I guess. I'm just worried I can't be a good father."

"I'm worried too." He looked up at her in surprise. "That I can't be a good mother. I have no doubt we'll make mistakes along the way. We're only human, but we'll figure out this parenting stuff together with the good Lord's help," she promised, putting her smaller hand over his large one.


	7. Chapter 7

"This don't taste like regular cornbread," Kid confided to Ruth over lunch.

"Rosa used sweet milk to make it."

"That's different. Doesn't she have buttermilk?"

"Well, I reckon she does in a warm climate like this."

"Good. I think I'll pour some in with it if she does."

"You are something else," she said with a shake of her head. "I just hope you don't offend her by asking."

Rosa looked delighted when she was asked, not offended in the least. "Great idea. That will put meat on your bones for sure." She even poured the fermented milk onto his cornbread for him, drowning it to the point of almost being inedible.

Kid didn't seem to mind though because after he'd eaten the cornbread, he drank the leftover milk from the bowl.

Ruth made a face. "Buttermilk's fine all mixed up, but I don't know how you drink that stuff straight. Give me sweet milk any day."

The other 2 boarders had already eaten their lunch and gone. He leaned over and kissed her.

"You taste like buttermilk," she said, trying to maintain a frown but smiling instead. He reached over to kiss her again, but she stood up before he hit his target a second time. "I don't think so. One sour kiss is enough for me, thank you."

Rosa had been watching Mercy while they ate and Ruth went into the living area to retrieve her at a hurried pace because she knew Kid was following her. He bent down and kissed Mercy while she was in Ruth's arms and the infant's lips twitched as if she was trying to smile.

"At least somebody like my buttermilk kisses," Kid teased.

"She don't know no better. It's a nice day out. Cloudy enough not to be miserable. Let's the 3 of us go on a walk together," Ruth said as she handed Mercy to Kid. She got her hat off the hook that was hanging in the living room and put it on, suggesting she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Rosa looked amused by the whole exchange and backed Ruth up by saying it was indeed a lovely day for a walk.

Kid reluctantly went along but made Ruth carry the baby, still too nervous to hold their daughter out in public.

"You know as long as we're out, it might be fun to go looking for jobs," Ruth said. "Just to see what's available."

"What kind of work did you have in mind? Farm work?"

"That might be nice. I think I'd like it if Mercy grew up with farm chores. Nothing helps teach you responsibility like having living things depend on you."

"And it is what we know. I don't see people looking to hire a revivalist/faith healer or a gunfighter very often, do you?"

"Well, there's midwifery I guess, but since there's a good midwife and a good doctor both, I wouldn't be needed here in Santa Fe. And the rare time that I was wouldn't be enough to make a living on. And certainly no one is looking for a woman minister. But I haven't seen a sheriff here. If farm work doesn't appeal to you, I do believe you'd make a great one."

"A sheriff?" he asked, sounding it out on his tongue as if it were a foreign word.

"Why not? It's not so different from collecting rewards on wanted posters except you have a specific area to defend. You couldn't go chasing criminals down. They're bound to need one here being this is part of the Santa Fe trail."

"I don't know. Never gave it much thought. I guess it wouldn't hurt just to ask about it."

A well-dressed white woman with a baby of her own on her hip hurried out from the town's hotel, having spotted them from inside no doubt. She looked excited. She stopped Ruth and asked if she could take a peek at her little bundle of joy.

"What a sweet baby," she cooed when Ruth lifted the blanket. "This is my daughter, Harriet. Probably the only other white baby in town. I'm Mrs. Donahue, but call me Mary."

"I'm Sister Ruth Cole and this is my husband, Kid Cole. And this is Mercy."

"What a lovely name. Are you settling here or just passing through?"

"We're considering settling. Ya'll looking for a sheriff?" Kid asked.

"Not that I know of, but that would be most welcome. My husband and I operate an inn and I know we'd feel safer to know there was someone watching out for the town. Mr. Donahue would be the one to talk to," she advised. "He'd know more about it than I would."

They went inside the inn to talk to him. He wasn't as tickled by the news that Kid was lookinf for a sheriff's job as his wife. He looked skeptical that Kid could do the job.

"The last sheriff," Mr. Donahue said, "God rest his soul, was shot and killed his first day on the job, but he lasted about an hour longer than the one before him. Be a shame to leave your wife a widow and your new baby fatherless. We've found it easier just to get a posse together when there's bad trouble as nice as it would be to live in a town with some law and order."

"You haven't even seen him shoot," Mary said to her husband.

"I don't have to," he replied. "It's a tough job and he looks a little on the young side to me."

"Come on, Kid," Ruth said. "I think Mercy's getting hungry anyway."

"That wouldn't be Kid Cole, would it? I heard you were in town. I didn't realize." The man did a total 180 and started begging Kid to take the job. "We sure could use your help here, Mr. Cole. This town is out of control when the sun goes down. Sometimes before especially in the political arena. If there's one thing Santa Fe needs, it's law and order."

As if to prove his last point, gunfire was heard across the street. Ruth covered the baby with her body and Kid covered Ruth while he helped her to floor. He'd also drawn his gun and it was trained on the ruckus through the window.

Mr. Donahue had pushed his own wife and daughter behind the desk and went over to Kid's side while Ruth crawled her way over with Mercy to join Mrs. Donahue.

The gunfire had come from a drunk who was out in the middle of the street waving it around like a toy. He hadn't shot it to hit anybody, but a bullet unintentionally fired could kill just as easily as one with a premeditated path. Fortunately it didn't appear he'd hit anyone. Yet.

"Put your gun down, sir, and I won't shoot," Kid called from the window.

The drunk didn't know the source of the voice, but it made him madder. He had no intention of listening to any orders from anybody. He fired another shot toward the hotel and Kid didn't hesitate, he fired too and the shot hit the man's hand, causing him to drop his gun.

Some men who'd been hanging in the background now rushed forward to see the drunken man was locked up at least until he was sober and also to see that his hand got looked at.

"I just know you're the man for the job," Mr. Donahue praised. "Situations like that are becoming entirely too common."

"Nothing's been decided yet," Ruth said, standing up and having cooled to the idea of Kid being sheriff considerably after hearing about the last sheriffs and now this event. The last thing Kid needed was to draw more gunfire than he already did. She wondered what she'd been thinking even suggesting this, but she could tell Kid was seriously considering it.

**Author's Note: The Donahues were real historical figures.**


	8. Chapter 8

Ruth discussed her concern with Kid just as soon as they left the inn. "I've changed my mind. What we need is a quiet town where the biggest excitement is some mischievous boy's prank, especially if you're going to take a job as sheriff."

"A quiet town does sound good," Kid agreed. "Of course, we could make Santa Fe into a sleepy place to live."

"Anything's possible with the Lord, but you'll have a tough time doing it. We need to pray a lot before we decide anything this big."

"I agree, and I didn't like that Mercy was put in danger even for a second."

"Amen to that. She started in my arms at the gunfire every time. It was a wonder she didn't cry. I guess settling in a town, or at least this town, wasn't as safe as I thought."

They checked for letters and were fortunate enough to have two, one from each of their families. Though they'd just sent the letters telling them about Mercy, they had told them they were expecting in the letters before that.

There was some news from home Ruth discovered as she read her letter. Anna was expecting her second child and one of her cousins had gotten married, but mostly it was chocked full of advice everything from what to do for rashes to what to do for babies who were teething.

They switched letters when they'd finished reading. The senior Mrs. Cole full of the same sort of advice. "Dear Kenneth," Ruth began out loud.

"Shhh, you want everybody in Santa Fe to know my real name?" Kid asked in a loud whisper.

Ruth grinned. "The truth shall set you free."

"Free to leave Santa Fe far behind us," he grumbled. "Because I wouldn't stick around to be called Sheriff Kenneth."

She laughed. "Okay, honey. I'll be good, I promise."

"Well," Kid said when they'd finished the letters. "I think we know enough about babies now to write a book."

"I think it's sweet. They're trying to be involved and helpful from a distance. I wish we could take her to see them."

"I wish we could too. Maybe we will one day when Mercy's old enough to remember it."

"I'd enjoy that as long as your consumption's up for the long trip."

"Don't worry about my consumption. I'm perfectly fine."

She gave him a brave smile. "I know you are."

sss

Rosa was too busy working on dessert to watch Mercy during supper, so Ruth ate with Mercy in her left arm while her right hand spooned the lamb and dumplings into her mouth.

One of the boarders, Mrs. Ortega, a hefty woman in her 50s with a strong chin and an even stronger personality sat across from her. Her son-in-law paid for her room at the boardinghouse.

"You shouldn't hold her so much," Mrs. Ortega advised the new mother. "You will spoil her."

"I don't agree," Ruth responded. "I don't think it spoils a child to show them love. I think it makes them feel safe and cared for. Doesn't Isaiah say that God gathers His lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart?"

"Humph, it's your funeral if she grows up to be a little monster. None of my business."

Kid gritted his teeth. He was beginning to see why the man paid for the extra cost of the room. If he had a dependant mother-in-law like that, he'd pay to have her live somewhere else too. "On that we can agree, Mrs. Ortega."

Ruth shot Kid a warning look to be nice, but Kid's comment had served to offend Mrs. Ortega into silence. She had to remember to thank him privately later.

The other boarder was a prospector, who regularly collected enough gold dust and the occasional nugget to pay for his living expenses but hadn't struck a vein to make him rich yet.

He was not to be left out of the conversation as he asked, "Does she sleep through the night?"

"Some nights. Some nights not," Ruth answered.

She almost wished she'd lied or at least exaggerated the truth as he spouted off a long speech on what his sainted momma had done to get his brothers and sisters to sleep through the night and considering her main technique was giving them a spoonful of rum, she didn't seem so sainted.

Why did everyone had advice for new parents whether they were parents themselves or not? It was fast becoming tiresome.

Kid and Ruth retreated to their room just as soon as supper was over.

"Well, I for one think you're doing a wonderful job," Kid said. "If there was an award for best mother, I'd give it to you."

"Aww, thank you. You're doing a pretty wonderful job yourself. There isn't anybody in the world I'd rather be the father of my child."

Mercy smiled her first full smile as if to say she agreed with their assessments wholeheartedly.


	9. Chapter 9

Mercy was laying on Kid's lap. He took off his hat and held it on top of her head. The hat engulfed her. In fact, she probably could have used it for a bed.

"A little big, I think," Ruth said with a chuckle.

"She'll grow into it."

"Don't say that. I don't want to think about my little baby getting any bigger. I want her to stay this size forever."

"Good luck with that, Momma," he said with a grin. "She's already growing. Used to be I could about hold her with one arm."

"Let me live happily in my dream world, please."

Mercy was fighting sleep. Her eyes would start to droop and then snap wide open as if she was afraid she was going to miss something if she went to sleep. He put her in her crib, otherwise known as a guitar case, and picked up his guitar instead. After strumming a few chords to make sure it was still in tune, he played her a lullaby.

"Sleep my child and peace attend thee,  
>All through the night<br>Guardian angels God will send thee,  
>All through the night<br>Soft the drowsy hours are creeping  
>Hill and vale in slumber sleeping,<br>I my loving vigil keeping  
>All through the night."<p>

Ruth melted at the song. There was just something so becoming about him singing to their baby. Not a part of the "Kid Cole" image but it was a part of the gentle, loving side of her husband that she was one of the few privileged to know, and it was there now in full, unbridled glory in a new and beautiful way and her love for him felt as if it would overflow.

Mercy was sound asleep by the time he finished his song. It was still early yet, but they'd learned they'd better sleep when their baby slept, so they always went to bed too.

Ruth smiled a slow smile to signal that she wanted more than just sleep. He caught her smile and must have recognized the familiar look as he tiptoed over but his eyes only darted elsewhere as if he hadn't seen it or was afraid of that look.

She stole a quick glimpse of herself in the mirror. She had been feeling rather unattractive lately. She hadn't lost the weight immediately like she thought she would. She often got spit up on. Her hair at this moment wasn't at its tidiest; it seemed a little thicker than usual, making it harder to tame. And on top of that, Kid hadn't tried to initiate anything even once since the baby was born.

There was only one way to put her fears to rest and make what she wanted perfectly clear to him. She laid a kiss on his stubbly jaw. His eyes fluttered shut as if he enjoyed it but was conflicted over it.

She slipped her hand inside his shirt to further entice him and put her head against his shoulder. "What is it?" she asked.

"Nothing. I'm just worried about you. You're not too tired, are you?"

Her hand returned to her lap. That sounded like an excuse to her ears, so she asked right out, "Do you still find me attractive?"

"Attractive? Are you kidding?" he said. "You're even more beautiful and amazing to me now. It's just that the midwife told me I shouldn't try anything until you were ready and I want to be absolutely sure you are."

She sighed with relief. "That's probably true. I wouldn't have felt like it right after, but I feel like it now," she told him as she laid an affectionate kiss on his lips.

He was excited by her words and actions. He didn't have to be told twice and he intended on showing her just how attractive he still found her. He turned her around and turned himself, so he could better reach her, but he noticed when she suddenly became stiff in his arms.

"What's the matter?" Kid asked full of concern. "Did you change your mind? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, it's just I only happened to think that Mercy's in the room. That makes it feel a little strange."

"She can't see from where she's at and she's so little anyway. We'll have to get more creative in the future, but we're fine for now."

"I guess you're right." Her arms wrapped around him as she pulled him on top of her determined to express her love for him.

Just as things were starting to heat up, there was a little whimper. Ruth couldn't ignore it; the mother in her wouldn't let her. It was the equivalent of some babies' cry. "I'm sorry, honey. I have to check on her."

He was disappointed as he knew they likely wouldn't be able to recapture the mood tonight. "So close and yet so far." He smiled though and went and got Mercy himself.


	10. Chapter 10

"You've decided to take the job," Mr. Donahue said excitedly when Kid returned to the hotel the next day with Ruth and Mercy in tow.

"No, just looking for some more information. What would be my salary if I did take it?"

"30 dollars a month."

"That's about like I figured." A dollar a day to put his life on the line. They'd need a big kitchen garden to supplement the low income. Of course, they'd always lived humbly, he wasn't exactly looking for great wealth, but he didn't want to leave Ruth struggling either with such a dangerous profession and his even more dangerous condition.

When he looked at Ruth, she gave him an encouraging nod that the price suited her, but then Ruth always thought the Lord provided no matter the circumstances if you just asked and maybe He did.

"I know a man looking to go east," Mr. Donahue supplied, eager to see Kid take the job. "He's looking to unload his property to help fund the trip. Might get it dirt cheap."

"Sounds promising," Kid agreed.

Mr. Donahue gave him the man's name and address and they set out to find him. It was no trouble at all as the town was still a small town.

"Yes?" asked a 30ish man who came to the door.

"Mr. Thomas? We're looking to settle here maybe and heard you might be selling. We're interested in taking a look at your place."

His sour look changed to a friendly smile in an instant. "Well, this is a prime location and the house is ready to move in to." He said it proudly as if showing them a palace instead of a hovel.

"Looks more like it's ready to fall in to me," Kid said, surveying the clear neglect. It didn't look as if the construction would hold up over a winter and it smelled dank and moldy. It was plain he wasn't much of a housekeeper.

"Well, maybe it could use some work," he conceded. "I'd be willing to come down on the price. Just a little you understand. I can't afford to give it away. You see that cactus with the white blooms out there?"

They did barely, looking out the small and square, glassless window. Kid nodded.

"That's how far it goes back. It goes plenty far west too. You'd have to walk that direction to find the end of it. Plenty of room to grow something and have a few animals."

"We'll think on it some," Kid said.

"So what do you think?" Ruth asked when they were alone.

"I think it ain't worth it. We could build our own house, which is what we'd have to end up doing anyway with the shape that house is in, and just buy the land. Land's one thing that's cheap."

"But there ain't enough wood around here to build a regular, timber house, is there? You ever built an adobe house?"

"No, but there's a first time for everything. We'd find people who were willing to help us. I'm sure Rosa'd know somebody or Mr. Donahue."

"So you've made up your mind that Santa Fe's where we want to stay, assuming it's the Lord's will for us to stop traveling?"

"I still got my qualms about Santa Fe. It ain't exactly tame and I'm not sure my becoming sheriff is going to change that."

"You're right about that. There's only one way to tame this place and that's through Jesus Christ. We could start a church for people who normally don't feel welcome at church. Think of the possibilities."

Kid laughed. "You can't really give up the ministry, can you?"

"Well, no. It's our job as disciples of Christ to minister wherever we are, on the road or living in a community."

"I love you."

She looked a little bewildered as he kissed her, but she smiled and returned the sentiment.

It didn't take them overlong to notice a medium-sized dog with what might have been honey colored fur, it was too difficult to tell as it was covered in far too much dirt. It began following them on their way back to Rosa's. It clearly didn't intend to attack as it was wagging its tail so furiously that it looked as if it would fly off at any moment.

"What do-"

"No," she said immediately, years together made her know exactly what he was about to ask.

"Aww, look at him, Ruth. Don't you think Mercy might want a dog?"

"No, I don't. And the thing's probably got an army of fleas."

"Nothing that couldn't be taken care of with some tender, loving care."

"We're still getting the hang of taking care of a baby. The last thing we need is to take care of some stray dog too."

"But look at him."

She did. He was bone thin under all that shaggy fur and he had big brown eyes that looked so lonesome. She was a sucker for big brown eyes. "We might could feed it and we could definitely give it a bath," she relented.

He threw his arms around her, taking care not to crush Mercy. "You won't regret this, sweetheart."

"I already do," she grumbled. "I'm too soft-hearted for my own good, but notice that doesn't mean we're keeping it for good. I still stand by my earlier opinion that caring for a baby is hard enough without adding a dog to the mix. But I reckon we could find it an owner. After all, dogs are God's creatures too."

"We'll find him a home soon enough, I'm sure. He looks like a good hunting dog to me."

"He looks like a dog that's only good for laying my the fire to me. Rosa's not going to let you keep a mangy mutt like that in the house you know. She runs a tidy place and I know Mrs. Ortega would pitch a fit over it as she barely stands Mercy."

Ruth's prediction came true. Rosa agreed to keeping the dog as long as it stayed out back. Rosa gave him some leftover biscuits from breakfast. The dog gobbled it up so fast, it was a wonder it didn't get stuck in his throat.

"I guess we better give him a bath next, huh?" Kid asked Ruth.

"Oh no, there's no we. You're the one who wanted him, so you're the one who's going to clean him up."

"Fair enough," he said.

Kid hunted down the laundry tub and filled it full of water and lead the mutt to it with a rope he'd found, but the dog didn't much cotton to baths. He escaped Kid's grasp after barely getting wet and ran toward Ruth like she would be his rescuer. He stopped just short of her and shook himself, splaying bits of mud all over Ruth. Mercy was protected from it as she was covered by a blanket, but Ruth was covered from head to toe in specks of mud.

"You did that on purpose, Kid Cole." She tried to look mad and she was a little; it was going to be a pain scrubbing the mud stains out of her dress, but laughter won out. It never did much good to take one's self too seriously or you ended up like Mrs. Ortega and there were enough Mrs. Ortegas in the world.

"I didn't have nothing to do with it," he said, picking up the rope and laughing with her once he saw she wasn't going to be angry over it. "That's what dogs do. I was trying to keep him in the tub but he's stronger than he looked for such a scrawny fellow."

"I guess it's my own fault for sticking around to watch this disaster, but if you don't mind Mercy and I will be watching from the cover and safety of our room this time."

Ruth could have sworn the dog's eyes were twinkling in mirth. Kid's definitely were as she retreated with Mercy.


	11. Chapter 11

Kid and Ruth hadn't gone to church the last couple of Sundays because she hadn't felt up to all the standing and sitting and kneeling the church service required, so they'd worshipped together at home.

This Sunday she did feel up to it and Kid held Mercy as she tied the bow under her hat and got her Bible.

"When will you baptize, Mercy?" asked Rosa as she put on her shawl. "I can talk to the priest if you wish."

"That's kind, but we've decided not to baptize her until she asks to be," Ruth said.

"What?" Rosa asked, not sure she'd heard correctly.

"Well, Kid's childhood church doesn't believe in baptizing babies at all, mine did, though my parents chose not to have me and my siblings baptized that young. Kid and I are both in agreement that it's a choice we want her to make for herself. We feel it should mean something to her and come after she believes with her whole heart and she's not old enough to do that yet."

"But-but you think babies don't need baptism? I can't understand this."

"Certainly it wouldn't hurt her and she will need it someday," Ruth continued, "but right now it wouldn't mean more than we intend to bring her up in the faith and we do, but accepting God's salvation is something she has to do though I'd dearly love to make the decision for her. I believe though that she'll be made wise unto salvation with prayer and teaching."

"But if she, God forbid," Rosa crossed herself, "dies before she can come to understand, do you not want her baptized? To save her from hell?"

"Baptism is important, a commandment from Jesus Himself, but it's simply an act of obedience in a believer's newfound faith, symbolizing and pledging that your conscience is now clear before God. The power of salvation is not in the water but in the resurrection of Christ as we're told in 1 Peter. Since a young child can't understand any of that, she is covered by God's grace and mercy until she can choose."

Rosa remained unconvinced. "Oh, well, I think that is a shame, but if that's what you believe, I can understand that."

"One thing is for sure," she said, taking Rosa's arm. "We have all been baptized by one Spirit into one body whenever or wherever it occurs. There is only one Jesus Christ."

Rosa's features relaxed into a smile. "Amen, Sister Ruth."

Mrs. Ortega joined the party, but the other boarder didn't even take Sunday off in his search for gold.

Mrs. Ortega wasn't happy that the boardinghouse had gained even an outside dog, but as it had yet to accost her and didn't bark to be let in at night, she didn't have much ground to stand on. It didn't keep her from trying though. Once outside, she remarked, "Dogs are such filthy, vicious creatures. They have no business being at a boardinghouse. I shall have to talk with my son-in-law about this. He won't let me stay in such conditions."

"Don't be too sure," Kid said under his breath.

Ruth nudged him with her elbow in warning.

"Oh, dear, we'll be late for church if we don't hurry," Rosa said, which was more to silence the woman's complaints than any need to beat the clock.

Ruth and Kid enjoyed crossing the threshold of the church with Mercy. There was something so special about bringing your child into a house dedicated to the worship of the Lord for the first time. And Mercy was as good as gold during the entire service, the envy of other mothers with babies.

Ruth spoke to Kid privately on the walk back from church. "You know I feel uneasy about staying here in Santa Fe permanently, not because I'm afraid of its people but it doesn't feel like the right thing to do no matter how much I pray about it."

"Well, then maybe it is wrong. For us. I've had no clear signs about it one way or the other."

"Maybe it is, but what if it's just me being afraid of change? Not trusting Mercy to God's capable hands?"

"Sounds like we should continue to pray about it. He won't leave us in the dark." He took Mercy from Ruth just as soon as they were in the safety of the boardinghouse. He looked more than a little guilty. He knew he wasn't trusting God with Mercy's safety. Sometimes worry over the trouble his name could cause for her threatened to eat his insides.

They hadn't been in bed more than an hour that night when there was commotion outside their window. It sounded as if someone was calling Kid's name.

"What in heaven's name?" Ruth asked as he went over to the window to discover the source.

Mr. Donahue and a group of Hispanic men, all on horses, were in the street.

"Sorry to disturb you," Mr. Donahue said. "The general store was just robbed by a kid barely out of the schoolroom. We don't think the boy's too dangerous unless he's working with somebody, but it's a chance to get to know the men who aren't afraid to raise a gun in an emergency and a chance to scope out these parts."

Valid points if he was going to take the job and there was always the chance that it wasn't going to be as easy as they thought to capture him. The more men who went, the better. "I'll be right down," he told them.

Ruth didn't say anything, but she looked at the clock. It was late.

"I'm sorry, honey. Think of it as a taste of what's to come. I'm sure I'll be called out to handle situations at all hours as sheriff."

Of course, he would. It came with the territory. "Be careful," she told him with a quick kiss.

Then she was left alone with Mercy to worry about Kid. It would indeed be hard to be a sheriff's wife. Even harder than being the wife of a retired gunfighter. Yet, she turned her worry over to God as she prayed for all involved but most especially for Kid.


	12. Chapter 12

Ruth hadn't slept a wink while Kid was gone and she heard exactly when he returned. "You alright?" was the first thing she asked.

"Sure I am. You weren't worried, were you?" he asked as he pulled his boots off, so he could slip back into bed.

"Of course I was worried."

"You shouldn't have been. It couldn't have been easier. Dumb kid made a fire. Bad for him, good for us."

"They won't hang him, will they? They going to give him a chance to change his ways?"

"I don't know. Men have been hung for stealing less. It's out of my hands. I ain't the law yet, and even if I was, public opinion being what it is, it's doubtful he can get away with anything less."

"No room for compassion here, huh?"

"Not when the law's only as good as the people in the community and I can tell you right now they looked like they were after justice, not mercy. I'll put my two cents in, but that's all I can do."

"I know you'll do your best. We better go to sleep, I guess."

sss

Kid was tending Mercy when she woke, walking the floors and rocking her, but he gave her over on Ruth's waking, so Mercy could have her breakfast.

"I forgot to ask. You found a home for the dog yet?" she wanted to know.

He'd gone out yesterday afternoon with that express purpose in mind.

"I think I have," he said, pointing out the window. "Come look."

Rosa could be seen feeding a very nice breakfast to the mutt that she had obviously cooked up special, fried eggs and bacon. She could also be seen patting him on the head.

Ruth smiled. "I think maybe you have at that. Mrs. Ortega's going to love you forever."

"I don't care what that old biddy thinks."

"Be nice. She's just lonely and feels unwanted, so she makes up for it by thrusting her opinion on everybody and everything."

"You got an excuse for everybody. Some people are mean just cause they are. If she was nicer, she might be living with her family instead of at a boardinghouse."

"Maybe, but I think if she remembered how much loved and wanted she is by God, she'd be more cheerful. I'm going to visit the boy later this morning to talk to him a little bit. I know you'll want to come, but I'm sure his feelings toward you aren't too friendly right now. I think it's best I go alone."

"I'm not sure I like that idea. Is that necessary?"

"I was in prison, and ye came unto Me," she quoted.

"Why do I even ask? You just throw scripture at me and who can argue with that?" he said with a grin. "If it's that important to you."

sss

"How'd it go?" Kid asked when she'd returned.

"Stubborn kid. Said he ain't a bit sorry and he ain't going to let some female or fictional being tell him what to do."

"That's the way it goes sometimes. I'm sorry, darling,"

"A little full of himself too."

He knew what that meant. It was her polite way of saying he'd made a pass at her. At least as well he could make one with bars separating them. "That's why I don't like you going."

"He's just scared, I think. Trying to act bigger than he feels. Gets his mind off what's coming."

"No doubt. I'd be scared too if I was in his shoes."

"Worse than stealing, he's wanted for killing his stepfather in Lexington, Kentucky. The postmaster recognized his description on a poster."

"Don't surprise me too much. Folks usually got a good reason for coming out west. Fairly easy to hide out here if you don't go getting into anymore trouble. I don't know about you, but I think we've earned some time to ourselves, don't you? Rosa offered to watch Mercy while we go out. Let's see if she's ready to make good."

Rosa was delighted to watch her, so Ruth fed Mercy though it wasn't quite time for her next feeding to be sure she wouldn't get hungry while they were gone.

"She takes a nap around 11," Ruth instructed after she'd given her over to Rosa, "and there's more flannel in our room if you need to change her. Just be careful when you're pinning her. She's gotten pretty good at kicking her legs."

"I've been taking care of babies since before you were born. We will be just fine together. Ve. Enjoy yourselves."

Kid propelled Ruth a long by placing a hand on the small of her back.

Kid had thought about taking her to the restaurant at the inn. He'd heard the food was good, but after almost 3 weeks, he wanted to be truly alone with her and he had a feeling the Donahues would pepper him with questions on whether he was going to take the job or not. Plus, Rosa had insisted on sending them off with food that she'd gotten together while Mercy was being fed.

The picnic started out promising. The lunch was amazing; Rosa had outdone herself once again, and it ended with them feeding each other blueberries. Then they laid back to watch the sky and talk.

After getting the chance to give a monologue without a peep from his normally talkative wife, he knew something was up. "You ain't been listening to a word I've said, have you?"

She was startled out of her thoughts. "I'm sorry, honey. I was just wondering if Rosa remembered to put Mercy down for a nap."

"Even if she didn't, which I don't think she will, it wouldn't be the end of the world. Will you stop worrying?"

"It's just we've never left her alone for so long. You think she's missing us?"

"I think you're missing her, but she's fine. Rosa knows how to take care of her."

"You're right. I know you're right."

He kissed her in an attempt to get her mind on other things, namely him. She kissed him back but just barely.

Was it possible to be jealous of your own daughter, Kid wondered. But it wasn't quite that. He was just a little upset that she had her attention elsewhere right now and as happy as he was to be a father, he was missing all the alone time they'd had before the baby.

He tried another distraction. "You know I brought our fishing poles. You ready to get a little fishing in?"

She sat up and took hers. "I'm not being very good company, am I?"

"You're doing fine, sweetheart, and I always enjoy being with you."

"I'll try to do better," she said, knowing he was just being nice.

They fished in companionable silence other than Ruth humming "Michael Row the Boat Ashore". That was one of the beautiful things about being married so long, conversation wasn't absolutely needed.

"You know," Kid said after awhile, "we could work on giving Mercy a little brother or sister."

She about dropped her fishing pole into the river. "You mean now?"

"Well, soon. Get some practice in anyhow."

She relaxed considerably when he realized he wasn't after another baby so much as he was interested in some one-on-one time with her, not that another baby couldn't happen anyway. She understood, even felt similarly, but she couldn't seem to get her mind off of the baby.

She was about to respond, but a tug on her line interrupted her. She pulled out a beautiful speckled trout about the length of her forearm. "I got the first fish and it's a beauty. Try and beat that."

He grinned. "I didn't even know we were competing."

"What's the fun of fishing if you don't?" she teased.

They were there about 15 minutes longer and he said, "Well, I sure ain't getting any bites. You ready to call it quits?"

"I've only caught one fish. You giving up already?" she asked, eyes twinkling.

"I know you want to check on Mercy. To tell you the truth, I do too. Though I know she's fine."

She smiled wide. "I love you," she said, throwing her arms around his neck and rewarding him with a much more engaging kiss than the previous one.

He groaned. "Can I take it back? We still got 2 hours before we're expected back."

She laughed. "I'll make it up to you tonight, " she promised, taking his hand and leading him to gather up their leftovers.

"I like the sound of that."


	13. Chapter 13

The first sign that something was wrong with Mercy was that she was crying. Ruth was quick to pick her up from the guitar case crib and she quickly discovered that she was hot to the touch, burning, in fact.

"Kid, come feel her."

He didn't need to feel her because as he approached, Mercy made 2 pitiful little gurgley coughs that cut him to the core and her breathing didn't sound quite right either, short and rapid.

"Pneumonia," they said together in fearful tones.

Kid wasted no time in getting out the door to fetch the doctor.

While he was gone, Ruth prayed like she'd never prayed before. Surely God wouldn't take their little baby from them after they had waited so long for one. but then she understood as well as anybody that the Lord gave and the Lord took away for reasons beyond their understanding and though the outcomes weren't always good; it all worked for good in the end.

Despite her understanding of this theology, she couldn't stand contemplating any other outcome than that she would get better and Ruth told Him so for what it was worth. She begged for her daughter's life. Mercy was so young, too young to be strong enough to fight it off without divine help.

She did her best to comfort Mercy, but still she cried and Ruth cried right along with her. Although keeping a body warm when feverish had been recommended when she was a child, she'd met more than one doctor who now swore by bathing in cool water. So she dipped a rag in the bowl of water. She wanted the water to be cooler than it was as she attempted to sooth the fever with it. She wished for ice to chill the water, but it was the wrong time of year and the wrong place for that.

She looked toward the door with hopeful eyes when the bedroom door opened, but the hope was fleeting because Kid was alone.

"The doctor went to set a broken bone and the midwife is in the middle of a delivery. The doctor's wife promised that she would tell him to come to the boardinghouse just as soon as he returns."

Her mind blanked for a moment in sheer panic, but then she prayed for calmness and soundness of mind and she knew what she had to do. "Onions." It was what her grandmother had swore by and certainly it had always seemed to help her and her sisters and brothers when they were congested as children.

Rosa stood in her night clothes. "Is everything alright? Why'd you go out just a minute ago?"

Ruth was relieved to see her. "It's Mercy. She's feverish and stuffy. Do you have onions?"

"Yes, of course."

They all went down to the kitchen.

Rosa sautéed the onions in the frying pan, according to Ruth's wishes. Kid took Mercy while Ruth scooped them up while they were still hot into her handkerchief. She removed Mercy's gown and laid the poultice on her bare chest. The steam from the onions would help with the breathing and cough or so she hoped.

It was said that colds and pneumonia could develop into consumption. Ruth and Kid both knew it though they didn't say anything about it. It was the white elephant in the room. But, oh, they thought and worried about it. The pneumonia alone was scary enough.

"Where is that doctor?" demanded Kid angrily.

"He'll be here," Ruth said more to calm herself than Kid.

But more time passed. It couldn't have been more than an hour, but it felt like an eternity.

"Oh, God, no," Ruth begged when a bolt of white lightening could be seen streaking across the sky through the kitchen window and the rain began to pour so hard, it would be difficult for man or beast to breathe in it.

Would the doctor be able to get home in that mess? Most likely he would choose to stay the night in the patient's home, at least if the folks there were kind people and that meant there would be no medical help tonight.

Kid came to the same conclusion. "I'll ride Horse to wherever he is. I will get him here."

"Not in that rain, you don't, with your condition. Are you crazy? Do you think I want to lose you both?"

"What do you expect me to do? Do nothing when our daughter could die?" he demanded angrily.

"I'll go," she said, standing up. "You stay with Mercy."

"Over my dead body. You don't need to be out in that either."

"And that's exactly what it'll be if you go out there in that!" she yelled. "Your dead body!"

The miner, Clifton, had come down the stairs, woken by their arguing or he had been awake already from Mercy's crying earlier. "I'll go."

"You?" Kid asked.

"Sure. I know this area like the back of my hand. I'll get there quicker anyway."

He and Ruth thanked him and Clifton went to find out from the doctor's wife where the patent was.

The minutes turned into hours. Rosa went back and forth from the stove for more hot onions and when she wasn't doing that, she just sat up with them, giving her silent support. Ruth and Kid took turns bathing Mercy with cool water. And they all prayed, repeatedly and intensely.

Mercy's fever broke just as dawn came. The light also brought the doctor and Clifton.

The doctor went to Mercy with barely a word and examined her. He asked what her symptoms were and what they had done for her.

"Your actions saved her life. The worst of it is over. Just let her sleep as much as you can and let me know if she isn't taking her milk like she should."

"Sorry we weren't here sooner," Clifton said. "By the time I got to the doc, the rain was so bad the river was flooding, so we couldn't get over it again. The water came clear up to the house, it was so near the river, but soon as we had enough light to see by, we were able to boat our way here on a homemade raft."

"Thank you, doctor. Thank you, Brother Clifton," Ruth said immediately. "We are more grateful than you'll ever know."

Kid shook their hands.

"We did it," Kid said, his tired body sagging in relief against the headboard when they reached the bedroom to rest. "I'm thankful Rosa had them onions and that you knew what to do with them."

"Certainly that helped, but I'm convinced that prayer had more to do with it than anything. It's a mighty God we serve and we were just reminded tonight that despite everything, it's God that holds all our lives in His hands." As much as she wanted to keep holding her well baby, she knew Kid wanted to be assured of her health too, so she gave her over to him.

"I believe you're right and you can bet that I will be praising and thanking Him for our little girl's life for a long time to come."

Mercy smiled up at him. It wasn't one of her normal smiles in response to seeing something interesting or just to mimic what she saw. She recognized him and his voice and his touch, and the smile said she loved her daddy.

Kid smiled right back. He'd been able to keep her safe by taking care of the drunken man, he'd nursed her in her sickness, and the smile said she thought he was doing a fine job of being a parent and that she cared not a fig about his past. Ruth was right. They could do this with the good Lord's help.


	14. Chapter 14

When Mercy was completely recovered, Ruth and Kid left her with Rosa again. It wasn't as much for pleasure this time as it was to come to a final decision with their plans.

"I was afraid before," Kid admitted as they walked. "I was afraid that settling down would put Mercy in danger and afraid that traveling on would be just as risky. But I ain't afraid anymore. I know God'll watch over us no matter what we do or where we go."

"I was afraid too. I thought that we needed a doctor nearby. That she needed a more normal life, but what is normal? If we're in God's will, that will be what's best for us and for Mercy. I think now we're really open and ready to hear what God has in mind."

"You want to go look at the house again? Talk to the Donahues some more?"

"No. Let's go to the saloon."

Kid chuckled. "You are the only lady I know who would ask to go there. I don't see how that's going to help us come to a decision."

"It won't probably, but I just feel like sharing the Lord's goodness and who better to hear it?"

He assented and smiled as he remembered the first time he had seen Ruth waltz into a saloon without the good sense to be afraid, of course he hadn't had the sense to be afraid of its evils then either. Looking back, he thought even then he could sense the pull she had on him and how much that had scared him. How silly he had been.

Everything Ruth had seen there that day had only convinced her that she was in the right place, doing the right thing, which was sharing the gospel with lost souls. A mission he had happily shared with her all these years. It was strange to be back at this particular saloon after so many years.

The saloon quieted with their entrance, a lady with a Bible could do that as it was a rarity in a place like this.

She went straight to the obvious owner. A new fellow because Kid didn't remember him.

The saloon keeper eyed her Bible with humor. "You come to preach at me?"

"I've come to tell you that the Lord loves you and He's missing you."

"No, He is not," he corrected. "I have 4 brothers and they all become priests and monks, so you see I come from a fine religious family and I haven't abandoned the faith myself. I still attend Mass every Sunday and take communion with the saints. I go to confession on Mondays. My soul is in good hands."

"Yet, you operate a brothel?" Ruth asked. She wondered for a moment if she hadn't made a mistake and approached the wrong guy.

"Yes. And we have a prayer meeting every morning."

Ruth wondered if he was teasing her. Yet, he looked perfectly serious. "Don't you know then that prostitution is wrong? You can't profess to know God but ignore His commands."

"If I didn't own this brothel, someone else would. So why shouldn't it be me making a profit? And I ensure they have a kind boss."

That was some convoluted thinking. "Because it's a sin. We are supposed to be Christlike. Do you honestly think He would own a brothel?"

"Who am I to say what He would or would not do?"

Ruth could only shake her head. She'd never met a religious saloon keeper before. She would've had more luck with a nonreligious saloon keeper she believed. "So you don't mind then if we talk to the girls about Christ and give them some scripture?"

"Not at all. Be my guest."

"I wonder if Carla still works here?" Kid asked Ruth as they started to walk away.

"Only one way to find out," she said. She turned back to the proprietor and asked, "Do you know a lady named Carla?"

"I remember Carla. Very well. I only worked with her a year. She was badly beaten by a customer. She lingered for a couple days afterward, but her injuries were just too serious. If I ever see that man again, I'd skin him alive. Carla was a good worker."

Kid looked like he could use some fresh air. She could too. They both went outside.

"She was so tough. I never thought-" he couldn't finish his sentence.

"You okay?" Ruth asked, rubbing his arm.

"Yeah." He realized she might misgauge his grief as his having had feelings for her. "I wasn't in love with her. She was just my buddy, you know?"

"I know. I liked her too. She helped me out of a bad spot." She enveloped him in a comforting hug. "I think we've just heard proof Santa Fe could use a sheriff. Make people think twice before they commit a crime like that and bring them to justice when they do."

"It could, but you know how many saloon girls we've won for Christ because of your revivals and your willingness to minister to people that most deem unworthy? And do you know how many we've helped escape that sort of life?"

"Not as many as I'd like but a lot."

"And even a few men who exploited the saloon girls. Maybe even abused them."

"That's true too."

"I don't think God's done using us through revivals and healings, do you?"

She smiled. Glad he felt as she did. "No, I don't think He is. Maybe that was the sign we were looking for. What do you say we go back in and see what help we can offer the girls?"

Every soul was precious to God. If they could help just one of them avoid the bad ending so many girls like that had, it was worth all their time and effort.

_"You're in love," Carla said with a laugh after he'd just finished venting about the woman known as Ruth McKenzie. He always spent more time talking to Carla than anything else._

_"In love? Haven't you been listening to a word I've said. I've never met a bossier, more foolish woman in all my born days."_

_"You could've picked a worse woman to fall in love with."_

_He sighed in frustration. "She's pretty enough I suppose, but she's always spouting off about God. What makes you think I'd fall for some kind of religious nut?" _

_"Because that's part of her attraction. I've heard you when your deep in your cups. You're a bit on the religious side yourself. Nothing wrong with that. Might give God a try myself one of these days before I die."_

Kid hoped she'd gotten to try. Maybe her lingering had been God giving her that chance. He had a feeling that Carla would have been pleased with their decision not to stay in Santa Fe, so they could reach as many as they could.


	15. Chapter 15

Dawn was threatening to come with just a hint of light at the horizon. Kid and Ruth were standing outside in front of the boarding house with Rosa, preparing to leave.

"I was hoping you would take the sheriff's job," Rosa said. "I wasn't the only one hoping either."

"There was some disappointed folks to be sure, namely the Donahues and Mr. Thomas," he told her, "but there are worst places to live than Santa Fe. I'm sure there'll be a sheriff here some day."

"Yeah, well, you take care of yourself," Rosa said to Kid. "Don't tire yourself out or you'll-"

Ruth cleared her throat.

"It's okay. I know you told her I have consumption," he said.

"When did you find that out?" asked a flabbergasted Ruth.

"It was pretty plain when Rosa started trying to fatten me up even more than usual."

"Well, a little weight wouldn't hurt you, you know," Ruth said.

Rosa agreed wholeheartedly. "You come through here again I better see you with a pot belly."

Kid patted his stomach. "If Sister Ruth keeps feeding me like she does, you won't have to worry about that. She's a very good cook."

"And I especially hate to say goodbye to this little one," Rosa said, looking at Mercy, who was alert despite the earliness of the day.

"She'll miss you too and thank you for the cap. She looks right pretty in it," Ruth said, fingering the small blue and purple flowers embroidered on her white cap.

"Oh, let me hold her one more time," Rosa begged.

Ruth did and Mercy managed to grab a hold of Rosa's loose hair. Kid helped her free it by prying Mercy's hand open and inserting his finger instead, giving Rosa a chance to put her hair behind her.

"You little minx," Kid said to Mercy, brushing under her chin with his pointer finger.

Mercy giggled and they were all delighted at the sound of her first laugh, They all started praising her and trying to coax another one, but she only looked at them like they'd gone crazy.

"Sorry about the hair, Rosa," Ruth apologized after giving up. "She's grabbed my hair a time or two in the evening when it was down. She should come with a warning label. 'Will pull hair'."

"That's okay. It didn't even hurt."

"I'm glad to hear it. I-"

"Well, goodbye, Rosa." Kid climbed up into the wagon.

"That's his way of secretly telling me I'm talking too much," Ruth said with a grin as she took Mercy back. "I never did give you that recipe I said I was going to give you, did I? For the lamb stew."

She spent the next 5 minutes explaining the recipe to Rosa.

"Ruth, the sun is up. You wait much longer and we might as well stay another night. You'll have the chance to write her out a whole cookbook."

"Oh, be still. I'm a coming."

She gave Rosa a hug and Rosa gave Mercy a pat on the head. Ruth passed Mercy up to Kid while she climbed in.

"Vaya con Dios," Rosa called as they rode away.

"God bless you," Ruth called back.

"We liked to never get gone," Kid complained once they were well on their way.

"We're moving now, ain't we? You can relax."

"Is Mercy warm enough?" he asked, looking over at the baby in concern.

"Yeah, she's going to be too hot once that sun starts warming things up. Ain't no weather like desert weather."

It was Mercy's first ride in the wagon, but she seemed to enjoy the bumping if the smiling and cooing was any indication. Ruth was thankful they had been blessed with a baby that had an easy disposition. "You still sure we're doing the right thing?" she asked.

He knew she was talking about Mercy. "More so than ever. She'll see so much of the country, meet so many people. How many children get that opportunity?"

_Present Day_

Sister Ruth sat on the floor with the baby. She held him under the arms so that it appeared he was standing and singsonged, "Ring-a-round the rosie. A pocket full of posies. Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down!"

On the fall down she gently brought him into the sitting position and he giggled like it was the funniest thing ever.

"You would've made a good mother," Kid observed with a laugh, repeating his earlier sentiment.

She brought the baby into her lap. "Maybe so, but God's managed to use my gift with children anyway. It ain't gone to waste."

"I'm surprised you didn't. Have children, I mean."

"Well, that would've required me getting married and I never met a man I wanted to marry until you and by then, well, you know. But I lived the life God meant me to live."

Kid came over and took the baby, so she could get to her feet.

"You would've made a wonderful father," she told him.

"Me?" he asked, not sure she was thinking too clearly.

"Yes, you. Brian Cooper adores you, you know."

"Yeah, but amusing a kid with a guitar and stories is a far cry from being a parent."

"True, but you're a good man who would've had a lot to give a youngen. But what is is. I ain't got any regrets about it. Do you?"

He started to shake his head, but there was a knock on the door. The mother had gotten her sleep out and was returning for the baby.

He was a different child with his ears not bothering him so bad. The vinegar had worked like a charm. He was pleased to see his mother and reached out his arms for her to take him, which the woman did happily.

"I see the vinegar must have helped. It's great to see him so happy and I can't thank you both enough for watching him," she told the Coles. "I don't have much money, but-"

Ruth interrupted her. "It was a gift. You don't owe us anything."

Tears of gratefulness appeared in her eyes. "Thank you."

Watching a baby for a few hours and soothing his ears was a small kindness, hardly worth noting in the grand scheme of things, but sometimes it was the small things that meant the world to people and therefore to God.

After the mother and baby left, Kid commented. "I'm glad you offered to do what you did for that poor woman, but let's just not go advertising baby watchers to our list of services. It might increase the numbers that attend your revivals, but I think we'd end up being the ones not getting enough sleep."

She laughed. "I'll keep it a secret if you will."

The End


End file.
